Garment covering device



R. P. INGRAHAM GARMENT COVERING DEVICE sept. 19, 195o 2 Sheets--Sheel l Filed Nov. 19, 1946 l/f V l jfl/fil r Sept 19, 1950 R. P. INGRAHAM 2,522,788

GARMENT covERNG DEVICE Filed Nov. 19, 1946 2 SheeLs--Sl'leel 2 Patented Sept. 19, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE GARMENT yCOVERING DEVI-CE Robert P. Ingraham, San Antonio, Tex.

Application November 19, 1946, Serial No. 710,915

12 Claims. 1

rIhis invention relates to garment covering, and more particularly to an improved method and apparatus for conveniently and expeditiously placing a garment bag about a garment or garments.

It is a common practice at present for an operator to manually place a garment bag on a vertically suspended rod so `that the rod extends through the opening formed in the closed top of a conventional garment bag and into the bag. The operator first moves the bag upwardly on the rod with one hand, and then with the other hand suspends a garment which is supported on a conventional hanger on the hook provided at the lower terminal of the rod. After the garment has been suspended, the operator then employs both hands to pull the bag down over the garment.

It is an object of this invention to provide means for automatically elevating a conventional garment bag on a vertical guide suliciently to permit a garment supported by a conventional hanger to be suspended from the lower terminal of the guide, and then automatically dropping the bag onto the suspended garment.

Another object of this invention is to provide means for automatically inflatng a conventional garment bag to open it and simultaneously move the inflated bag upwardly along a vertical guide suiiiciently to permit a garment supported by a conventional garment hanger to be suspended from the lower terminal of the guide, and then automatically dropping the open bag onto the suspended garment.

A specific object of this invention is to proi vide an automatic garment covering device which includes a vertically suspended tube that is communicated with a source of air under pressure, means for directing air streams upwardly into a conventional garment bag which has been placed on the lower portion of the tube with the tube extending through the usual aperture formed in the closed top of the bag and into the bag to thereby raise the bag along the tube suiciently to position the lower terminal of the bag above the lower municated with a source of air under pressure,

a yieldable member operably supported at the lower terminal of the tube and cooperably associated with means for directing air streams from the tube upwardly into a conventional garment bag which has been previously placed on the lower portion of the tube with the tube extending through the usual aperture formed in the closed top of the bag and into the bag, the yieldable member being operable to discontinue the upward air streams when it yields responsive to the weight of a garment after the garment has been suspended from the yieldable member to thereby permit the bag to gravitate onto the suspended garment.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a garment covering device of generally :improved construction, whereby the device will be simple, durable and inexpensive in construction, as well as convenient, practical, serviceable and e'lcient in its use.

With the foregoing and other objects: in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts, and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that various changes in form, proportion and minor details of construction may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit of sacrificing any advantages of the invention.

For a complete disclosure of the invention, a detailed description thereof will now be given in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming part of the specification, wherein:

Figure 1 is a Side elevation of the garment covering device, parts being shown in section, depicting a conventional garment bag in the position in which it is placed by the operator and also in raised position; l

Figure 2 is a similar view, depicting a garment bag in raised position and also in garment covering position; i

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmental vertical sectional View taken through the lower terminal of the air tube and deecting cup, depicting the sliding sleeve in its raised or open position; and

Figure 4 is a similar View depicting the sleeve in its lowered or closed position.

Referring to the drawings, in which similar reference characters de gnat@ corresponding parts, iB indicates a ceiling or other suitable support to which a bracket i i is secured, and the bracket, in turn, supports an air blower I2 which is preferably driven by an electric motor I3. The blower is of the well known construction in which air is drawn in at the center of the blower casing and discharge through a tangential peripheral Outlet member l5.

The outlet member l as a guide in the form of an air tube or conduit It attached thereto and suspended therefrom. This tube extends downwardly to a point within convenient reach of an operator standing on the iioor of the structure which supports the ceiling ill. A pin or rod I'z extends transversely through the tube at a point adjacent its lower terminal, and this pin receives the eye of a helical extension spring lil. A similai` eye is formed at the opposed terminal of the spring I8, and this eye engages a hook 2i] which is secured to a pin 2l that is carried by a slidable sleeve or control valve 22. A similar pin 23 extends transversely across the sleeve adjacent its lower terminal, and this pin, in turn, has a hook 25 depending therefrom. By this arrangement, the sleeve 22 is normally held within the tube it, and the upward or inward movement of the sleeve 22 within the tube i6 may be limited by a stop member or screw 26.

The lower terminal of the tube it extends downwardly an appreciable distance into a semispherical cup or deecting member 2l', and the cup is preferably secured to the lower terminal of the tube i5 by suitable brackets 28. It is to be understood, of course, that other means may be employed to secure the cup in correct relation to the tube l5.

The inner surface of the cup 2l preferably has an annular valve seat 3i] formed therein in axial alignment with the lower terminal of the air tube i6. The hook 25 extends through an aperture 3| formed in the cup 2 in alignment with the axis of the air tube it. By this arrangement, the shank 32 of the hook 25 slides axially within the aperture 3i when the sleeve 22 moves axially within the air tube i6. A yieldable gasket or packing ring 33 preferably surrounds the upper terminal of the hook shank 32, and this gasket is arranged to cooperably engage the inner wall of the cup surrounding the aperture 3i, for a purpose which will hereinafter be set forth.

In the operation of the device, the electric motor it drives the blower, thereby directing a stream of air downwardly through the tube i5. The slidable sleeve is normally held within the tube against the stop 2t by the spring i8, thus permitting the stream of air which flows downwardly through and from the tube it to impinge the inner surface of the cup 2l where it is deected or reverted upwardly between the upper terminal of the cup and the surrounded lower terminal of the tube lli. Thus it is seen that when the slidable sleeve valve 22 is in its normally retracted position, as shown in Figure 3, a stream of air is constantly reverted upwardly from the cup 2l around the tube i6.

In the use of the device, an operator places a conventional garment bagT or sack B on the lower portion of the air tube lli so that the cup 21 passes through the aperture 35 customarily formed in the center of the closed top 35 of the bag, as indicated in full lines in Figure 1. After the bag B has been placed on the tube it so that its closed top 3S is above the cup 2l, the bag is then inflated and moved upwardly along the tube l@ by the reverted air stream until the lower open end of the bag B is appreciably above the lower terminal of the tube, as indicated in dot and dash lines in Figure l. The inflation of the bag B maintains it in open or extended condition to more readily receive the garment.

Now the operator suspends the garment G, supported on the conventional garment or clothes hanger H, from the slidable sleeve 22 by engaging the hook of the garment hanger I-I with the hook 25 carried by the sleeve 22. The weight of the garment causes the sleeve 22 to slide downwardly against the tension of the spring I8 until its lower terminal engages the valve seat 30. At the same time the soft, yieldable gasket 33 Covers the aperture 3i through which the shank of the hook slides, thus confining the air to the tube i6. This permits the raised and inflated bag B` to drop by gravity onto the garment and cover said garment for the usual service distribution. If the bag should not drop far enough to completely cover the garment, the operator may then conveniently draw the bag completely overl the suspended garment, and the open condition of the bag facilitates this manual operation.

The covered garment is then removed from the hook 25 preparatory to subsequent use of the device. When the garment is removed, the spring i8 draws the sleeve valve 22 into the tube i6 against the stop 26, thus communicating the interior of the tube with the interior of the cup 2l so that a stream of air is again reverted upwardly around the tube, thereby conditioning the device for further use.

I claim:

1. The method of covering a garment with a garment bag having an open bottom and a closed top with an aperture formed therein, which includes placing the garment bag on a suspended guide so that the lower terminal of the guide extends through the aperture into the bag, directing air streams upwardly into the bag to move the bag upwardly on the guide, supporting the garment at the lower terminal of the guide and then discontinuing the upward air streams to thereby permit the bag to gravitate onto the garment.

2. The method of covering a garment with a garment bag having an open bottom and a closed top with an aperture formed therein, which includes placing the garment bag on a suspended conduit so that the lower terminal on the conduit extends through the aperture into the bag, directing an air stream downwardly through the conduit and then reverting the air stream upwardly into the bag to fully open the bag and move it upwardly on the conduit, supporting the garment at the lower terminal of the conduit and discontinuing the upward air stream to thereby permit the open bag to gravitate onto the garment.

3. A garment covering device including a suspended guide, means for directing air streams upwardly from the lower terminal of the guide into a garment bag movably supported on the guide to thereby move the bag upwardly along the guide, and means for discontinuing the air streams to permit the bag to gravitate along the guide onto a garment supported at the lower terminal of the guide.

4. A garment covering device including a suspended guide tube communicated with a source of air under pressure, a control valve at the lower terminal of the tube and operable to permit an air stream to ow downwardly from the lower terminal of the tube, means adjacent the lower terminal of the tube to revert the air stream upwardly around the tube into a garment bag movably supported on the tube to thereby move the bag upwardly along the tube, the control valve being operable to discontinue the upward air stream thereby permitting the bag to gravtate onto a garment supported at the lower terminal of the tube.

5. A garment covering device including a suspended guide tube communicated with a source of air under pressure, a yieldably-supported valve at the lower terminal of the tube and operable to permit an air stream to flow downwardly from the lower terminal of the tube, means to revert the air stream upwardly from the lower terminal of the tube and around the tube into a garment bag movably supported on the tube to thereby move the bag upwardly along the tube, means for detachably suspending a garment from the valve, the valve yielding responsive to the weight of the suspended garment to closed position to discontinue the upward air stream thereby permitting the bag to gravitate onto the suspended garment.

6. A garment covering device including a suspended guide tube communicated with a source of air under pressure to force the air downwardly through the tube, a control valve at the lower terminal of the tube and operable to permit an air stream to flow downwardly from the lower terminal of the tube, means adjacent the lower terminal of the tube to revert the air stream upwardly around the tube into a garment bag movably supported on the tube to thereby move the bag upwardly along the tube, the control valve being operable to discontinue the upward air stream thereby permitting the bag to gravitate onto a garment supported at the lower terminal of the tube. l

7. A garment covering device including a suspended guide tube Acommunicated `with a source of air under pressure to force the air downwardly through the tube, a yieldably-supported valve at the lower terminal of the tube and operable to permit an air stream to ilow from the lower terminal of the tube, means to revert the air stream upwardly from the lower terminal of the tube and around the tube into a garment bag movably supported on the tube to thereby move the bag upwardly along the tube, means for detachably suspending a garment from the valve, the valve yielding responsive to the Weight of the suspended garment to closed position to discontinue the upward air stream thereby permitting the bag to gravitate onto the suspended garment.

8. A garment covering device including a suspended tube, an air blower communicated with the tube and operable to force air downwardly through the tube, a control valve at the lower terminal of the tube and operable to permit an air stream to flow downwardly from the lower terminal of the tube, means adjacent the lower terminal of the tube to revert the air stream upwardly around the tube into a garment bag movably supported on the tube to thereby move the bag upwardly along the tube, the control valve being operable to discontinue the upward air stream thereby permitting the bag to gravitate onto a garment supported at the lower terminal of the tube.

.6 9. A garment covering device including a sus-f pended tube, an air blower communicated with the tube and operable to force air downwardly through the tube, a yieldably-supported valve at the lower terminal of the tube and operable to permit an air stream to flow from the lower terminal of the tube, means to revert the air stream upwardly from the lower terminal of the tube and around the tube into a garment bag movably supported on the tube to thereby move the bag upwardly along the tube, means for detachably suspending a garment from the valve, the valve yielding responsive to the weight of the suspended garment to closed position to discontinue the upward air stream thereby permitting the bag to gravitate onto the suspended garment.

10. A garment covering device including a suspended tube communicated with a sour-ce of air under pressure, a sleeve valve axially slidable within the tube and operable to permit an air stream to flow downwardly from the lower terminal of the tube, a cup supported to surround the lower terminal of the tube and operable when communicated with the tube to revert the air stream upwardly into a garment bag movably supported on the tube to raise the bag along the tube, means for yieldingly supporting the sleeve valve in position to communicate the tube with the cup, a hook suspended from the valve to detachably support a garment carried on a garment hanger, the weight of the garment moving the valve to position to sever communication between the tube and the cup to discontinue the reverted air stream thereby permitting the bag to gravitate onto the garment.

11. The method of covering an object `with a covering bag having one end open and the other closed, which includes introducing air under pressure to the interior of the bag to inflate and move the bag against gravity in a linear direction simultaneously, supporting the object in the space vacated by the bag and adjacent the open end of the latter, and then discontinuing the air pressure to release the bag to the acton of gravity.

12. The method of covering an object with a covering bag having one end open and the other closed, which consists in introducing air under pressure to the interior of the bag to inflate and to simultaneously move the bag in an upward direction and against the action of gravity, supporting the objects in the space vacated by the bag and adjacent the open end thereof, and then discontinuing the air pressure within the bag.

ROBERT P. INGRAHAM REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record inthe le of this patent:

UNITED sTATEs PATENTS Number Name Date 2,069,266 Nlcodemus Feb. 2, 1937 2,122,852 Whitley July 5, 1938 

